Madeline Payne, the Detective's DaughterLynch, Lawrence L.
General
Madeline Payne, the Detective's Daughter
Lynch, Lawrence L.
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction
She steals on to her own room in the west wing. Here she locks the
door and, striking a light, hurriedly rips the silken band with a tiny
penknife, and draws from thence two papers.
One glance suffices. Replacing the papers, she binds the belt about
her own body, and then envelopes herself in a huge water-proof, with
swift, nervous fingers.
And now, for the second time, this girl is fleeing away from Oakley.
Out into the night that is illuminated now by a faint, faint moon;
through the bare, leafless, chilly woods, and down the path that
crosses the railway track not far from the little station. Once more
she follows the iron rails; once more she lingers in the shadows,
until the train thunders up; the night train for New York. Then she
springs on board.
For the second time, Madeline Payne is fleeing away from Oakley and
all that it contains; fleeing cityward to begin, with the morrow, a
new task, and a new chapter in her existence.
But no lover is beside her now; for that love is dead in her heart.
And no Clarence breathes in her ear a warning, for now it is not
needed. Since that first June flitting, she has learned the world and
its wisdom, good and evil.
And the cloud that Hagar saw on that June night, hangs dark above the
house of Oakley.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
CROSS PURPOSES.
An irate pair were seated at breakfast the morning after Celine's
flitting. And while they ate little, they talked much and earnestly,
sometimes angrily. They had arrived at the conclusion, which, although
erroneous, had been foreseen by the astute Celine, namely: That the
robbery had been committed at the instigation of Mr. Percy, and that
Celine had been brought over and used by him as a tool.
It was evident that something must be done, and that quickly.
While these papers were in the hands of Percy, as undoubtedly they
were at that moment, it were best to keep that gentleman as much as
possible under their own eye.
[Illustration: "With a smothered exclamation of triumph she draws away
a _silken belt_!"--page 315.]
Yesterday, it had seemed desirable that Miss Arthur and her _fiance_
should be kept out of the house of Oakley. To-day, they agreed that
the quicker the pair took up their abode beneath its hospitable roof,
the sooner they, Mr. Davlin and his accomplice, would breathe
freely. If they could get the two in the same house with themselves,
they might yet outwit Mr. Percy--with the aid of their friend and
ally, the sham doctor, if in no other way. Meantime, they would not
make the robbery known; or rather, they would inform the servants and
all others whom it seemed desirable to enlighten, that the girl,
Celine, had possessed herself of certain jewels and of Mrs. Arthur's
purse, and fled with her spoils.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account